Monster Energy/Thor/Leading Edge Kawasaki at Nanaimo

Kamloops, BC (July 15, 2008) After a three week break the CMRC National series resumed last weekend at the Wastelands motocross track in Nanaimo, BC. For the Monster Energy/Thor/Leading Edge Kawasaki team the weekend would be practically a hometown race for the British Columbia based motocross team and they put it to good use, with all three riders placing in the top 10 for the first time this season.

After missing the last round in Regina with an ankle injury, Teddy Maier came into Nanaimo looking to regain the form he had shown at the beginning of the season when he won the opening round. Though still suffering a lot of pain, Maier toughed it out and pulled off solid 4-3 moto scores for third overall and showed he is still one of the class frontrunners. It was a solid showing for the Fort Dodge, Iowa rider as he originally wasn't slated to return until the Moncton round on August 3rd. With the series moving to a new venue in Edmonton next weekend that is flat and supercross like it should benefit Maier who won multiple races in the AMA Arenacross series last winter.

For Maryland's Nick Evennou the Nanaimo round was a chance for him to break out of a midseason slump that had saw him drop from 2nd in the points to outside the top 10. The first moto started off well with an early battle with his teammate Maier but unfortunately clutch issues dropped him back to 12th, hardly the result the former moto winner was looking for. The second moto was going well again until Evennou crashed, leaving him at the back of the pack. After remounting, Nick put his head down and put on a huge charge, picking off riders right till the end, ultimately finishing right ahead of his teammate Brock Hoyer in 6th position. With the inconsistency that a lot of the riders showed on the day, Evennou's 12-6 moto scores ended up giving him a surprising 5th overall for the day. The result gives Evennou something to build on as the series moves to neutral ground next weekend with the new track in Edmonton where he'll be looking to return to the winning ways he showed last season.

For the teams third rider, Brock Hoyer, Nanaimo is considered his "home race" for the BC native and in front of him family and friends he didn't disappoint, turning in his best finish of the season. After finishing 14th in the first moto, Hoyer used the power of his Pro Circuit powered KX250F to nab the holeshot in moto two and rode to a solid 7th place behind his teammate Evennou, giving him a well deserved 9th overall for the day. With his steady improvement throughout the season, Hoyer will be looking to keep the moment up as the series moves to Alberta next weekend.

With the last Nanaimo round in the books, the Leading Edge team looks forward to next years move of the British Columbia round to the team's hometown of Kamloops.

Check out the Leading Edge blog for more info and photos from behind the scenes.

http://leadingedgekawasaki.blogspot.com

The Leading Edge Kawasaki team would like to thank their sponsors for making their 2008 racing effort possible:

Leading Edge Motorsports, Kawasaki Canada, Monster Energy, Thor, Rock Construction and Mining, Parts Canada, Pro Circuit, Kyocera/Gold Business Machines, RG3 Suspension, Pirelli, Excel Wheels, Fountain Tire, Zeta, DRC, Merge Racing Technologies, Ogio, VP Fuels, Alpinestars, Gear Jammer Mikes, Mechanix Wear, Print Werx.

www.leadingedgeonline.ca